Chains
by ScarlettRin
Summary: Ryo and Rika have gotten so much closer during their latest mission. Now that all the Tamers have decided to go on a holiday to Okinawa, will Rika succeed in getting rid of her attraction towards the Legendary Tamer? Or will be Ryo the winner, once again? Story rated M because this is kind of a long lemon.
1. Prologue

…**:Chains:…**

* * *

Here I am with my first Ryuki long fic (it won't be longer than 5/6 chapters though).

_I will definitely try my best for my most favourite OTP ever. I will never get tired of writing about them. They are just so perfect together. 3 Plus, every time I write about them I end up writing some lime/lemon. I cannot do otherwise; I fear it's just their fault. Too much repressed sexual attraction, I guess. _

_Hope you'll enjoy the reading!_

* * *

**Prologue.**

Rika sighed, looking at the trembling ceiling above her head. She closed her eyes, feeling her head fuzzy and aching. Since they left Tokyo on the train, Kazu and Kenta didn't stop chattering and laughing even for a moment, and Takato and Jeri kept on cuddling and giggling endlessly. Her head was going to explode before they could even reach the airport, she was sure.

"Train sickness, pumpkin?"

Rika lowered her head, looking at the smirk of the blue-eyed boy in front of her. When their eyes met, she felt weird for a moment, or better… embarrassed, somewhat.

"No. I'm fine. Just weary, I guess." She said, avoiding his gaze by looking outside the window.

"Yeah, I think it's normal… you know, after all we've been through lately." He said in a soft sweet voice. "I'm sure this trip to Okinawa will turn out just fine."

She smiled softly, hiding it behind the hand on which she was leaning. She didn't want to let Ryo know he was able to make her feel better, sometimes.

Soon, Henry and Alice were back from the toilet, and they sat next to Ryo and Rika, respectively. Ryo and Henry started to talk about the last mission, the Digiworld, Ryo's work at Yamaki's association, and so on. Alice kept on reading her book. Rika half listened to the boys' conversation, half thought about the latest events of the past weeks.

They were called back at Yamaki's headquarter, after nearly five years of silence from the Digital World. The researchers were close to find a way to communicate with it and they found it, but something went wrong and four Digital Gates appeared all around Japan. Henry's dad and the other Monster Makers created four cards which allowed the Tamers to close the Gates, so they had to split in four groups in order to close them. Takato went with Jeri, obviously. Henry went with Alice and Suzie. Kazu and Kenta went together, just as a lovey-dovey couple. In order to avoid both of them, Ryo and Rika silently decided to team up. Ryo had been studying at Tokyo's university for a year, but he decided to reach the Gate in Kyushu, his homeland. She went with him. That experience had been… strange. They got so much closer. Rika got to know him so much better: she met his father, his friends, saw his home, his room… slept in his bed, too.

Rika shook her head slightly, feeling a flush of heat warming her cheeks. Those thoughts were… inappropriate, definitely inappropriate. She had promised to herself never to think about it, but she was thinking about it over and over again… she had even decided not to speak to Ryo anymore after that week in Kyushu, but then summer vacation started and Takato proposed to travel to Okinawa all together. "A group holiday to strengthen their friendship", Takato called it. "A group holiday to make me hate Kazu and Kenta even more and to make my situation with Ryo even stranger", Rika thought to herself. She wanted to refuse, but Jeri and Alice insisted so much that she had to agree, at the end. Much to Ryo's joy she could tell, since when he saw her at the train station his eyes started to sparkle, just as his perfect smile. How hateful.

That trip seemed endless to her: even though everybody was having fun, travelling really wore her out. Plus, she could feel Ryo's presence in a kind of stronger way: it was as if she could feel his aura getting brighter, pressing her against the floor. It was frustrating, irritating, tiresome.

* * *

"You like him."

Rika raised her wet face from the sink of the airport's toilet. Alice stood by her side, washing her hands in the next washbasin, and Rika looked at her through the reflection in the mirror.

"What?" she asked, in an irritated voice.

"Something happened between you and Ryo while you were in Kyushu, but you don't want to admit it."

"Ah-ha, that's funny. How can you say that, blondie?" Rika snorted, leaving the sink to dry her hands.

"Because you keep on starring at him. And he keeps on looking at you, in a very… intense way. If you know what I mean."

"No, I don't. And you're talking bullshit. Stop it." Rika said, leaving the toilet without waiting for answer.

* * *

As Rika finally fastened her seatbelt, someone plumped down on the nearby seat.

"What. The. Hell. Are. You. Doing. Here." Rika asked, petrified.

Ryo smirked with his usual cheeky face.

"Alice wanted to switch seats. I think she's into something with Henry." He said, fastening his seatbelt.

Rika widened her mouth in disbelief, ready to say something very, very bad. But she just hissed a 'bitch' and turned her vexed face towards the little window.

"Are you okay, Princess?"

"No."

"Airplane sickness, again?" he giggled, reminding of their plane trip to Kyushu where Rika felt sick during the whole journey.

"No. Just nausea. Caused by your presence." She snorted, crossing her arms.

"Hey, that was bad!"

"No. It's just that we're sharing too much of the same air, hotshot."

"Oh, I like breathing the air around you. It smells like cherry blossoms and grumpiness. It's lovely."

"Oh, I thought it was you the one that was perfuming air around me. You one, it smells like aftershave and cockiness."

"Yeah, I didn't want to shave it for a while, but since you told it bothers you, I decide to shave my splendid full beard."

"It was a couple of bristly hair. And I don't remember ever telling you something about your stupid shaggy beard."

"You did when you fall asleep in my arms on my sof—"

"GOOD NIGHT, AKIYAMA." Rika burst out, turning her side to Ryo in order to look out of the window. She DEFINITELY needed to ignore him. Definitely.

* * *

Oh, that smell was… was great. Soooo sexy. And hot. And manly. And arousing. And…

"Oh, fuck…" Rika hissed to herself, lifting slowly her eyelids just to see a soft darkness around her.

The plane was flying by night, and the lights were dimmed during the journey. Everything was quiet and people on the opposite seats were sleeping.

Rika didn't want to lift her eyes. Didn't want to find out if Ryo, on which she was leaning half asleep, was looking at her with a satisfied expression on his cocky face. She could feel his hand resting lazily on her back, but according to the rhythm of his breath she was nearly sure he was sleeping, too.

Rika lifted slowly her head from his chest, careful not to make his warm hand fall off her back. Ryo's head was leaning peacefully against the headrest, his eyes closed and his breath regular.

He was really handsome. Rika couldn't stop thinking it.

Then, she felt something.

A rush, a hot rush of something, rising from inside of her chest. No, actually it came from somewhere below her belly, a feverish desire that came rushing through her veins and made her lean forward, towards Ryo's face, her lips a few inches away from his. She could feel his breath against her chin and a tickling feeling pinching her stomach.

It took her a few moments to regain control over herself. Over her mind. Over her body.

Rika distanced herself from Ryo's body, she took his hand off her back and delicately set it on his lap. She then snuggled up against the opposite side of the seat, as far as she could get from him, nervously picking at her fingernails. In the middle of most total darkness, she could see something glittering from far away: they were reaching Okinawa, finally. The place in which, she decided, she will have to try to ignore and get rid of Ryo Akiyama from her life.


	2. 1 Chapter: His Chains

…:Chains:…

_Here I am with the first real chapter of this long fic. I want to alternate one chapter with Ryo's POV with one with Rika's. In this way, I hope I can describe better both of their feelings and emotions. Plus, these couple of chapters will be divided into present narration and flashbacks._

_Now it's "poor" Ryo's turn, hope you'll enjoy it. _

_Thank you to all those who reviewed the Prologue! Your reviews mean so much to me and make me want to write faster. Please, keep on helping me with your lovely comments and maybe some advices! _

_And don't worry, lemon is coming._

* * *

Chapter 1. His chains

_Ryo jumped, a throbbing pain rushing through his body._

_But it wasn't the wound on his left shoulder that hurt. _

_It was _her_ touch. _

_He lifted slowly his eyes to watch Rika's expression: her eyebrows raised, her expression intensely focused on the dried blood on his shoulder, her thin hands sliding down his skin. She was just disinfecting a deep scratch he got during their battle to close the gate, but he felt deeply disturbed. It was as if Rika was burning every cell of his body by just brushing his skin with her fingertips. _

"_What?" she asked, turning suddenly her gaze on his fixed eyes._

_Ryo startled, surprised. He couldn't tell how many minutes had passed since he started to stare at her so intently. _

"_Um… what what?"_

"_You are staring at me."_

"_N-no… I'm just checking my shoulder. I don't want you to disinfect it with poison or something like that."_

"_Then do it yourself, you asshole." She snorted, annoyed, although she took a bandage to wrap his shoulder up. _

_He chuckled. "There's no need for me to disinfect it. I've had one million of scratches like that in Digiworld and nothing ever happened. They just cure themselves after a while."_

_Rika smirked, lightly. "This is a real deep scratch, though, Rambo. So just shut up and stay still." _

Don't. Fucking. Smirk. Rika. _Ryo thought by himself, diverting his eyes from her curved, round, soft lips. Lips he just wanted to nibble at, champ, kiss, savour. _Just shut the fuck up, you sick brain. She's just sixteen. She can be my little sister... but I had sex for the first time when I was sixteen. Okay, stop. You CAN'T think about such things. Stop, you pervert brain, stop.

"_Okay, I've finish to wrap you up like a mummy, Heroboy. Hope you'll think it twice before acting like a perfect idiot next time. No one gets a price for getting hurt." Rika said, getting up from her knees._

"_I just wanted to protect you." Ryo whispered, staring her into her beautiful eyes. _

"_I know. Don't do that again. I can protect myself." She said, exiting the room without looking back. It seemed to him that Rika's cheeks had turned a little pink._

* * *

Ryo sighed slightly, staring at Rika as she could hardly lift her suitcase. She refused both his and Henry's help, saying she could handle it on her own.

So stubborn. So proud. So strong.

Every time he looked at her, he felt the scar on his shoulder burning. As if her fingerprints had left a brand on his scarred skin.

The house hosting their holiday in Okinawa was quite big. It had one triple room and three rooms with a double bed. The girls decided to share the triple room, stealing it to Kazu and Kenta who wanted to share it with Ryo. Ryo was safe; he could keep a whole double bed room for his own, since Kazu went with Kenta and Takato with Henry.

"Yeah Ryo, you're so lucky! So, if you get a girl during this holiday, you can bring her into your own room!" said Kazu, during their first lunch in the house.

Ryo choked on the water he was drinking, starting to cough out loud. Rika raised an eyebrow, unperturbed, as she finished drinking her ice tea.

"What a brilliant idea you've just had, Kazu." Rika smiled, impishly. "So this means you're just going to pair up with Kenta the whole holiday?"

"Fuck off Rika! I'm gonna surely get a super cool girl! And I'm sure Ryo will lend me his room, right man?!"

"...whatever." muttered Ryo, looking at Rika, embarrassed.

Alice caught the gazes between Ryo and Rika, and smirked mischievously.

"What about you, Rika? Are you going to find a boyfriend in Okinawa or not?" asked the blonde girl, with her strong American accent.

Rika looked at her with a strange smile: half amused, half peeved.

"I still can't tell, Alice. You know, I don't overtly flirt with guys as you usually do." Rika said, standing up from the chair and looking at Alice with a challenging expression. Alice gave Rika a dirty look. The air in the room suddenly froze.

Rika started to clean the table, followed immediately by Alice and Jeri. Takato asked if they needed some help, Rika and Alice answered "No" in unison and Jeri signal the boys to run away from the dining room as soon as they could.

Ryo went outside, sighing. Something wrong was in the air, and he was afraid it could explode. Why was Alice provoking Rika so openly? And what meant Rika's smirk as she heard Kazu's embarrassing proposal? Was she jealous? Or it just meant she couldn't care less about other girls flirting with him? Because as Alice asked Rika about her finding a boyfriend in Okinawa, Ryo felt anger and pain flowing through his veins. He felt he was being carried away by his feelings for Rika. He needed to regain control over himself.

He sat on the wicker chair on the terrace and closed his eyes, feeling the warm wind ruffling his hair. He immediately dozed off.

* * *

_He must have fallen asleep on the sofa, as he was waiting for Rika to finish showering. He was very tired and felt his body aching everywhere, especially on the shoulder. He sat up painfully, deeply breathed in twice and then got up from the couch. He went towards the bathroom, but found out that the door was already open. He turned his gaze towards his bedroom, whose door was not perfectly closed. Through the slight opening of the door, he saw Rika's naked back. She only had her shorts on and she was lacing her bra on her naked shoulder. _

_Ryo jumped immediately and rushed towards the living room, his heart racing and his cheeks burning. And then he felt his blood rushing somewhere else, all the way down his chest, below his belly. _

"_Rika, have you finished in the bathroom?!" he shouted nervously._

"_Yes..." she said, closing immediately the door of his room. "I came to tell you earlier but you were asleep."_

"_That's fine. I-I'm gonna get a shower." He said, rushing to the bathroom and quickly closing the door behind his back. He turned on the shower, rotating completely the knob of cold water. Icy water stung painfully on his skin, as he managed to cool down his hormones._

* * *

"Hey, you're going to catch a cold."

Ryo slowly opened his eyes and what saw made him startle on the chair.

Rika stood in front of him, her bare pale skin illuminated by the sunlight. She was wearing a black two-piece swimsuit. On the fabric triangle covering her left breast, there was printed a purple star. The lower part was covered by her usual denim shorts and she was wearing a pair of black Converse.

Ryo's mouth fell open, his eyes gazing at her bikini top. Rika blushed, instinctively covering her breasts by folding her arms. Ryo blushed, diverting his gaze from her swimsuit and feeling embarrassed for staring at her so intently.

"What, sleeping beauty, never seen a girl in swimsuit?!" she bristled, raising her eyebrows.

"I-I..." Ryo tried to reply. _No, it's just that I fucking want to rip that swimsuit out with my teeth._ "No, it's just... I didn't expect you to go to the beach, it's quite early and the sun's going to burn you..." _...liar._

"It's already a quarter past four, Ryo. You slept for about 2 hours. You better go to the beach soon, otherwise all the girls in bikini will be gone. And I bet you don't want to upset Kazu by coming home empty-handed, do you?" she said, a sarcastic expression on her face.

"You can bet on it, princess." He said, frowning. He got up without looking at her and went inside the house, angrily.

In the corridor, Ryo met Takato and Jeri, who were going out to the beach.

"Where are you going Ryo?!" asked Takato, worried by his dark expression.

"To have a fucking icy shower." He muttered, closing himself in the bathroom.

After coming out from the shower, Ryo was freezing but his mind was not. He wished the shower could have helped him getting rid of that painful anger caused by Rika's words. She was good with words: she could use them as knives to hurt people's feelings whenever she wanted. Did she really want him to go out and find another girl? Good, he will have. He stood in front of the mirror arranging his hair when he noticed Rika's beauty case – he knew it very well, since it was the same she had brought to his house – left on the cabinet next to the sink. There, a red lip gloss was popping out from one of the zippers. He didn't know she used lip gloss. She certainly got much more feminine in those years. Even her tendency to leave her hair untied made her look much sexier and adult than before.

Ryo smiled bitterly: he felt haunted by her presence. The more he tried not to think about her, the more she would come back to his mind. He sighed sorrowfully, leaning his forehead against the mirror. He felt enchained by those feelings.

"Why... why you... Why did I have to fall in love with you?" he whispered, taking out her lip gloss from the beauty case. There, a notice caught his attention: _cherry-flavoured._

"Cherry..." he whispered, frowning.

* * *

_After that cold shower, Ryo went back to the sofa, sneezing. _

"_What happened, Ryo? Caught a cold in June?" Rika asked. She was sitting on the sofa, embracing her knees. She was wearing Ryo's Milan t-shirt, one of his favourite European football teams. _

"_Just a cold shower. Too cold, I guess. Good choice." He said, hinting at his shirt, as he sat next to her on the sofa._

_Rika smiled slightly, very slightly. But she DID smile. _

Now I'm gonna kiss her. I swear I do. _Ryo thought, dazed. _

"_I wanted something clean to wear and I liked these colours the most. Plus, I don't really support Avispa Fukuoka as you do." Rika smirked, leaning against the seatback of the sofa. _

"_Hey, we are good. We can do better, though." He laughed. And they started talking. _

_About their favourite football teams and favourite TV shows. He told her about his trip to Italy, when he accompanied his father on a business trip and where he bought that Milan t-shirt. They talked about their travels throughout Japan and abroad, about which countries they would have wanted to visit the most. Just a normal couple, a normal boy and normal girl, talking about their interests and their life experiences. No wars, no fights, no problems. Although he had always felt the need to fight as a fundamental part of his life, he thought that maybe this was enough for him. Just him and Rika. Maybe she was more than enough to fill that empty space inside of him. Perhaps her fire was enough of a challenge for him._

_At a certain point, he had stretched his arm along the seatback, positioning it behind Rika's back. She didn't say anything or maybe she didn't even notice it. But the atmosphere was warm, cosy... familiar. Finally, his usually empty house really felt like home. _

_Rika's eyelids were heavy and she struggled to keep them open. Ryo asked her if she wanted to go to bed, but she stubbornly refused, saying she was wide awake. Three minutes later, she started dozing off, her head sliding from the seatback of the sofa towards his shoulder. _

"_You should go to bed." He said, embracing her shoulders lightly. Being so close to her felt strange, but it also felt really, really good..._

"_And... you should shave your beard... it tickles..." she whispered, before falling deeply asleep in his arms._

_He couldn't tell when he fell asleep or how long he had been sleeping, but when Ryo woke up, Rika was gone. She went to sleep in his bed, leaving him alone on the sofa. Before going, she had covered him with a comforter. Ryo rubbed his eyes with his fingertips and bit his lower lip, sadly: he already felt alone without Rika by his side. Before dozing off again, he realized that his lowered lip tasted like cherry._

* * *

That evening, Ryo didn't have dinner with the others. He stayed on the balcony, watching the sun setting and the moon rising, illuminating the sea in front of his eyes.

His mind was hazed. His eyes frowned. His expression upset.

But his seriousness was ruined by his sneezes. In fact, he was wrapped in a cover, since he kept on sneezing all afternoon.

Suddenly, he heard the sliding window behind his back opening. Rika entered the balcony, a tray with a cup of tea and some biscuits in her hands. Her hair was loose on her shoulders and she was wearing a large t-shirt covering her denim shorts.

"Hey, I heard you were feeling sick. So, I thought... you know... maybe you were hungry." She said, leaving the tray on the coffee table by his side. As she leaned forward, her hair exposed part of her neck. For a moment, Ryo felt like a vampire: he longed to bite it hard, to leave an indelible mark on her skin. "What's your problem with summer colds, anyway, Akiyama?"

She looked him in the eyes, but immediately diverted her gaze. Ryo was staring at her intensely, his mouth covered by his hand. He still didn't answer.

Rika seemed nervous. She sighed deeply, watching the sea in front of her.

"I'm sorry, okay? I've been bitchy today." Rika said, worn out by Ryo's gaze.

"You kissed me." He said instead, out of the blue.

"Wh...?"

"You kissed me. That night, on my sofa. You kissed me."

...to be continued.

* * *

Thank you for reading so far. I'll try to update next chapter as soon as I can. Don't worry, lemon is coming. u.u


	3. 2 Chapter: Her Chains

…**:Chains:…**

_Here I am with this second chapter. It took me quite a lot of time to write it down, but as you see it's quite long. Since Rika's narration is much enchained with the one of Ryo of the previous chapter, I would suggest you to re-read it. Hope you like it! Please, read and comment if you like this, it means so much to me!_

* * *

**Chapter 2. Her chains**

"What about you, Rika? Are you going to find a boyfriend in Okinawa or not?" asked the blonde girl, with her strong American accent.

Rika looked at her with a strange smile: half amused, half peeved.

"I still can't tell, Alice. You know, I don't overtly flirt with guys as you usually do." Rika said, standing up from the chair and looking at Alice with a challenging expression. Alice gave Rika a dirty look. The air in the room suddenly froze.

Rika started to clean the table, followed immediately by Alice and Jeri. Takato asked if they needed some help, Rika and Alice answered "No" in unison and Jeri signalled the boys to run away from the dining room as fast as they could.

Once the door was closed, Alice turned to Rika.

"You are so mean."

"You started it, Alice."

"I was just joking."

"Well, I don't joke about such themes."

"I hope Ryo gets another girl on this holiday. He deserves something better than you." Alice spitted out, angrily. Jeri turned immediately pale at hearing that.

Rika turned towards Alice and smiled lightly.

"Yeah, I think you're right." Rika hissed, leaving the room.

* * *

_The gate was closing quickly, imploding upon itself and disappearing into nothing. But the gate had opened against a rocky cliff, and rocks were starting to shutter and to crush down. _

_Ryo and Rika had to climb down the cliff in order to get closer enough to the gate. Ryo wanted to go alone, but she refused firmly. She would have never accepted to look weaker than him. Nor she would have accepted his chivalry, or his generosity, or his kindness. She was better than him and wanted to demonstrate it. Needed to demonstrate it. _

_As soon as they threw the card inside the Digital Gate, everything started trembling. Ryo hurried Rika towards the cliff and she started to climb up as fast as she could. _

"_Reminds you anything, Pumpkin?" he giggled, nervously, trying to downplay the situation. _

Like that time, with the D-Reaper, when we went down that ravine looking for Calumon.

_Rika thought. And then, she began to remember how every time she had been in danger, Ryo was by her side. In the clock sector, Ryo helped her against Megadramon. Down the ravine, it was him who helped her against the D-Reaper. When she went to look for Impmon, it was him who came in search of her and Renamon. _

_She could think of hundreds of situation in which he came to save her. Every time, restlessly. _

"_Hey Wildcat, this is getting dangerous. We really need to hurry up a little faster."_

_Rika lowered her head, gazing at him furiously. _

"_That's what I'm doing, you id—"_

_Suddenly, Ryo grabbed Rika's hip and, with a strong push, he moved her to the side. _

_At first, Rika felt confused and was afraid of falling. Then, she felt something big falling faster by her side: it was a big rock. If Ryo hadn't moved her in time, it would have fallen straight on her head. But Ryo lost time pushing her away and didn't manage to dodge the sharp rock, which brushed hard his shoulder, making a big and deep scratch. Rika turned pale as she saw Ryo's shoulder bleeding copiously. _

_Ryo complained, painfully, but he gritted his teeth and looked back at her._

"_Come on Rika, hurry up, now!"_

"_But I... I..."_

"_Don't worry, this is nothing! Just climb up!" he shouted, angrily, and she started to climb as fast as she could, feeling pain and anger and shame and guilt devouring her soul. _

_If she only hadn't been distracted by those stupid thoughts, then probably she would have seen the rock in time and they would have been both safe and sound... and if he only could have stopped playing the big hero every time, she would have lived certainly an happier life._

* * *

Rika buried her face in the pillow of her bed, sighing deeply. The situation was getting out of hand rapidly. She felt confused and couldn't think clearly. In that moment, Alice entered the room, closing lightly the door.

"Sorry. Been a bitch." She said, sitting on the bed, by her side.

"Same here. Sorry too."

"Fine then. What's between you and Sparkling Teeth, then?" asked Alice.

"I don't want a 'confession moment', Alice. Not now." Rika grumbled, her faced hidden in the pillow.

"But you need it. What happened between you two during last mission?"

"I don't know."

"What's happening _now_, between you?"

"I. DON'T. KNOW."

"Wow. That's already a good start. Otherwise you would have said something like: _absolutely nothing! _Or _I just hate him as much as always!_ And so on. So something _is_ happening between you, uh?" smirked Alice, interested.

Rika stayed quiet for several minutes. No one spoke, they just stayed in silence, listening to the waves crushing on the distant shore.

"Oh fuck. What's wrong with me?" Rika said suddenly, turning on her back and covering her face with the pillow.

"You're In Love With The Hero Boyyy!" sing sang Alice lightly.

"I AM NOT. It's just... I don't know. He is everywhere. And I always feel like I owe him something. And... yeah, it's getting strange being with him." Rika stopped, sitting up on her bed. She looked warily at Alice, still hugging her pillow. "Just forget it."

"As you wish, Pumpkin." Alice bugged her.

"Stop that, you damn idiot."

Rika got up hurriedly, reaching her suitcase and taking her new bikini out.

"Didn't you say it was too daring for you?" Alice said looking surprised at Rika's sudden reaction.

"I don't care. I need to get out of this fucking strange situation. I think you are right: Ryo needs to get a girl in Okinawa. And I probably need to get a boy, in Okinawa too. So this strange situation will end happily and without ambiguous misunderstandings."

Alice raised her eyebrows, wordless.

"Are you going to pick up a boy on the beach?!"

"That's the plan, Blondie."

As Rika went outside, she couldn't help but feeling naked. She wasn't accustomed to such skimpy bikinis. She was going to get a t-shirt, when she saw, through the window, Ryo sleeping quietly on the wicker chair. His expression was relaxed, his stupid perfect hair ruffled by air.

Rika sighed and walked outside, on the terrace, to wake him up. He might have caught a cold, as he usually did every time he fell asleep without a cover. She thought about getting a blanket to cover him, but the last time she did, it didn't end up very well. Rika's cheeks started to burn and she dug her nails in her arm. She coughed out loud, shouting at him in an angry voice.

"Hey, you're going to catch a cold."

Ryo slowly opened his eyes and what saw made him startle on the chair.

Ryo's mouth fell open, his eyes gazing at her bikini top. Rika blushed, instinctively covering her breasts by folding her arms. Her body burned under the pressure of his aroused gaze, but her mind was furious. How could he watch her like _that_? Like she was nothing more than a pair of boobs in a bikini?

"What, sleeping beauty, never seen a girl in swimsuit?!" she bristled, raising her eyebrows.

"I-I... No, it's just... I didn't expect you to go to the beach, it's quite early and the sun's going to burn you..."

_You pathetic liar_.

Rika wanted to punch him hard in the face, but decided to resist. She would have taken her revenge as soon as she got a boy in Okinawa. Or maybe not. Why had she to do such a stupid thing? Like getting a boyfriend just for... what? Better making him doing the dirty work.

"It's already a quarter past four, Ryo. You slept for about 2 hours. You better go to the beach soon, otherwise all the girls in bikini will be gone. And I bet you don't want to upset Kazu by coming home empty-handed, do you?" she said, a sarcastic expression on her face.

"You can bet on it, princess." He said, frowning. He got up without looking at her and went inside the house, angrily.

Rika felt really pissed off. She hissed, furiously, and went for a long walk on the beach.

After a few minutes, she came back to take a t-shirt. Ryo was no longer on the wicker chair.

* * *

_She was feeling strange, damn strange. _

_She fell asleep in Ryo's arms, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and IT WASN'T. _

_The TV was still on, illuminating the living room with its faint light, and Ryo's breath was deep and regular, his arm clenched tightly around her waist. _

_His breath was tickling her neck, his bristly beard itched her cheek. They were close, so damn close. And she felt dazed by sleepiness, or maybe by the heat of his body, or by his manly perfume..._

_Rika realized she wasn't totally in control of herself; she felt like a sleepwalker. She decided to get up in order to avoid dangerous situations. She stumbled to Ryo's bedroom, more asleep than awake. There, she took a folded comforter and decided to use it to cover Ryo. She yawned, feeling cold, as if she was already missing the heat of Ryo's body. She walked to the living room and she laid the cover delicately down on Ryo._

_Rika starred at his face, illuminated only by the dim light of the TV, as he slept quietly._

_The rational part of her mind was still asleep, but her animal instinct was alive, awake, aroused; and it was starving. Without thinking about it twice, she leaned forward and kissed Ryo gently on the lips. As soon as she felt the taste of his lips, Rika distanced herself, getting up and rushing to his bedroom. _

* * *

How could have that happened?

Rika starred at Ryo breathlessly; she couldn't believe to what he had just said.

She had been thinking about Ryo's angry expression all afternoon on the shore, after she said to him to find himself a girlfriend in Okinawa. Maybe she had been rude without a clear reason. She was acting nervously and strangely because she knew she had done something wrong and ambiguous with him, by kissing him that night in his apartment. But he didn't. Rika was angry with him because of something _she did_ and that wasn't a good reason to treat Ryo badly – worse than usual, actually.

So, she had decided to come out on the balcony to apologize – something that required all of her good intentions and courage

"I'm sorry, okay? I've been bitchy today." Rika said, worn out by Ryo's gaze.

And then, all of her good intentions disappeared as Ryo spoke up.

"You kissed me." He said instead, out of the blue.

"Wh...?"

"You kissed me. That night, on my sofa. You kissed me."

Rika felt her breath caught in her throat and something heavy pressing her chest. She couldn't speak, couldn't think, couldn't act. Like that time, during the card tournament, when she lost against Ryo. She was unable to react. She _hated _him for this. Really hated him for putting her in such situations from which she was unable to escape.

She frowned deeply, a painful stab in the stomach. Probably she had turned pale too, because Ryo quickly got up from the wicker chair with a worried expression.

"Rika, are y—"

"Shut the fuck up." Rika hissed, before rushing inside the house and closing herself in her room. She slid slowly down, her back against the closed door. She breathed rapidly and hardly, like air around her was too thick to breathe and made her asphyxiate.

Ryo Akiyama was enchaining her and she couldn't let that happen.

* * *

Next day on the beach the atmosphere was quite joyful. Apart from Ryo and Rika that didn't talk to each other. Actually, Ryo greeted her during breakfast, but she answered with an "mpf" and never talked to him again since then.

A stiff ocean breeze was moving her silky hair as Rika starred at the high waves crushing on the shore.

The beach was quite crowded and a group of boys nearby chitchatted in a very high voice, kept on shouting and joking out loud. Rika was wearing sunglasses, so she could look at them without being noticed. Suddenly, a tall boy with ruffled blond hair and blue eyes looked at her interested, but diverted his gaze immediately. He was quite handsome.

Then, the boy said to a friend: "Hey, with these waves I guess we're not going to reach the Chains."

"Yeah, man, that's bad luck. We must push back our bravery test!" said another boy.

_Mpf, wimps_. Rika thought to herself, getting up and reaching the bar to get a fresh drink.

That day, temperature was a little too hot for her. As she waited for her drink to arrive, she saw Takato, Henry, Kazu and Ryo playing volleyball on a little volley-field on the beach. Ryo was the only one wearing the T-shirt, as he always did on the beach. Actually, he didn't really need to get a tan since he was already quite tanned. But it was a shame for him to cover his chest, since his body was well-built and his muscles well-trained... then she remembered the tattoo he had on his shoulders: she saw it while medicating his scratch and he said he wasn't really proud of it. He got tattooed during his sixteen's and overdid it, as always. She kind of liked it, though...

In that moment, the barman served her drink and she came down to earth.

"Who's that, your boyfriend?" asked the barman, winking at her.

"No, absolutely no." She blushed, looking at her drink. "Listen... I've got a question. What are the Chains?"

"Well... The Chains are a group of caves that can be reached only by swimming. Starting from this beach, it takes at least 15/20 minutes to reach them. They're cool, but it is quite an enterprise to reach them. Once, people used to make lots of bravery tests in those caves. Someone nearly died. I think that getting there by swimming it's an already hard test."

* * *

"You're crazy." Alice said gazing at her as Jeri turned pale.

"You can't do that!" screamed Jeri, grabbing Rika's arm.

"Do what?" asked Ryo.

The girls turned back to see that the boys had come back to their beach umbrellas. Ryo heard Jeri's worried words and became curious.

"None of your business, Akiyama." Replied Rika, glaring at him.

"Rika wants to swim to the Chains." Sighed Alice.

"Thank you, Alice." Grumbled Rika.

"No, she won't." Replied Ryo, a serious expression on his face.

Rika turned towards him, agape.

"What...? How dare you –"

"I dare because the waves are too high to reach those caves safely, Rika." He said, his tone starting to sound annoyed.

"I can swim very well, even with those waves." She hissed back, irritated.

"Not that far, though."

"How can you say that? You've never tried to reach those—"

"You know, Rika? I'm getting tired of your stubbornness and your recklessness."

"YOU? You are tired of MY recklessness?! Ah, that's funny, Akiyama. Really funny."

"Maybe I'm reckless too, but I'm not the one who gets in trouble 4 times over 5 and needs to get rescued."

"Ouch, that was a good one, Ryo-san!" laughed Kazu.

Rika's cheeks became red with anger. She bit her lower lip, giving a bitter look at Ryo, who immediately realized to have just made a huge mistake.

"Fine, then." She said.

Suddenly, Rika started to run towards the shore and plunged into the sea. Everyone sighed in surprise, but Alice started singing "Frozen" soundtrack, modifying the words: "_Let her gooo, let her gooo, she will come back soon before she drooowns"._ Ryo glazed at her in annoyance and shook his head. He took off his t-shirt, revealing his tattoo: a long dragon crossed his shoulders. In its forelegs, the dragon held two dices; in its hind legs, it held a broken clock.

"WOOH, THAT'S SO COOL, RYO-SAN!" shouted Kazu, excited.

Ryo didn't listen; he just rushed towards the shore, diving into the big waves. Rika was already far off: she was a good swimmer, indeed.

She was tired, extremely tired. And she had never drunk so much salty water in her whole life. But there they were, those damned caves. Rika dove into a huge wave and when she came out, she coughed out loud. It was really getting dangerous.

"RIKA! GET THE FUCK BACK!"

She stiffened, hearing Ryo's voice shouting from not very far away. She turned to see him approaching quickly.

"NO! GO AWAY!" she shouted back, starting to swim with renewed energy.

That was a nightmare: the more she tried to run away from him, the more he would follow her. It really seemed that they were enchained together.

"RIKA!"

She heard his voice once again before entering the first cave, not the biggest one but one of the smallest. Immediately, she felt pain coming from her left knee, as if she had hit a hidden rock. She swam up to a big cliff in the centre of the cave. There, water seemed to be quieter. Rika leaned against the rock, breathless. Every muscle of her body hurt and her knee burned. She remained there quietly for a few moments, breathing deeply and watching the rocky sides around her. The movement of waves reflected on the rocks, creating bright effects and patterns resembling long series of chains.

Suddenly, something popped out of water with a loud sound that made her startled and scream.

"RYO, FOR GOD'S SAKE!" Rika shouted back, as she realized it was Ryo who had popped up by her side from under water.

He leaned against the same rock, by her side.

"No... I should say... for the God's sake, Rika... the fuck..." he said, out of breath, leaning his forehead on the fresh rock.

"I didn't ask for your fucking help, Akiyama, especially if you want to use it to boast yourself among others!" she said, angrily.

"I'm sorry, okay? You're right, I didn't mean to say that..."

"Oh, instead you did, you bastard..." Rika replied in a distressed tone.

"Rika, please..."

"I-I don't want to see you ever again, Akiyama. I don't want to have anything to do with you, because I-I can't handle it, okay? I can't stand being with you!"

At hearing those words, Ryo's expression became sad and frantic.

"Rika, please, I... why are you saying that?! I'm doing NOTHING, nothing at all to make you angry! You seem to be angry even before seeing me! I-I thought things were getting better after that mission but... Is this all because of that fucking Digimon card tournament? Is it so? Will it be forever like this?!" Ryo shouted, his voice broken.

"I hate losing, Ryo. I hate losing to you." Rika said, looking him straight into the eyes.

"So you want me to give up? To let you win? Is this what you want? You want me to make you win, Wildcat?" he said seriously, leaning closer to her.

"No... that's not what I want..." she whispered, seriously.

Ryo's expression twisted into a satisfied smirk.

"Good, because I won't let you win so easily, Princess."

There was silence then, a strange kind of silence. They looked each other into the eyes. He seemed to be struggling with something inside of himself; she was trying to understand what he wanted to do.

Suddenly, Ryo looked down, diverting his gaze from hers.

"We should go back, Wildcat. This is getting cold."

Rika felt somewhat offended by his decision, or just disappointed. As if something was missing in that moment. As if she felt something had to happen inevitably, but she couldn't figure out what.

"I injured my knee while entering the cave. It hurts." She said, leaning against the rock behind her back, trying to raise her legs as much as she could.

"I don't know why this doesn't surprise me..." Ryo sighed, holding on to the rock and leaning against Rika. With his free hand, he lifted Rika's knee from underwater, seeing the deep scratch cutting her skin.

As Ryo grabbed her knee, Rika felt a rush of adrenaline shaking her body, her skin enthralled with goose bumps. Ryo nearly lost his grip as he saw her nipples rising under her wet bikini fabric, and she definitely noticed it, even though he tried to concentrate himself only on her cut. She could feel the touch of his hand becoming hotter and hotter every second it passed by.

"So what, am I going to die soon?" Rika asked, after a few minutes of silence.

Ryo swallowed hard, a nervous smile on his lips.

"No, no, absolutely... I can help you to swim to the beach if it hurts badly..."

"So, why are we still here?"

"Uh, well, sorry, I was just thinking..."

"You had to be thinking about something quite important for so long." She protested.

"You could have spoken earlier, I was just lost in thought."

"I'm freezing."

"You were the one who wanted to come here!"

"You kept me out of water for nearly 10 minutes, that's why I'm cold."

"Just trying to help you, your majesty." He sighed, exasperated.

He left the hold on the rock, coming back into the water.

"C'mon, my Queen, take my hands, I'll help you down into the water." Ryo said as he raised his arms towards Rika.

She slid slowly down the rock surface, grabbing Ryo shoulders to help herself. Rika slipped on the last piece of rock, falling hard into Ryo's arms and hanging on to his neck with both her arms. She was surprised by the incredible warmth of his body, by the strong hold of his arm around her thin waist and by something hard, big and hot rising from underneath his swimsuit. She buried her face against his clavicle, pressing her breast, her raised nipples, her belly, her entire cold body against his warm, perfect chest, and she could hear him swallowing hard and sighing in pain.

"Rika, we... shall go. Now."

"You seem to like this, though." She smirked, hiding her face against his neck. He moaned again, softly, as she crossed her legs behind his back, leaning her lower belly against his erection. His next words died on his lips, his breath caught in his throat.

Rika rubbed her lips against his neck and he sighed, painfully.

"Rika, you are... too..."

"Too much for you?" She said, leaving his neck to approach his face with hers. "I know. That's why this is not going to happen anymore."

As Rika said that, she started loosening her grip on his neck, but Ryo strengthened the hold on her waist, pulling her against him.

He kissed her hard on the lips, so hard it almost hurt, at first. Rika couldn't breathe, nor think, nor react. She felt small and weak against the might of his body, she couldn't escape his arms. He was stealing air from her lungs, life from her mouth, energy from her body. That kiss was intense, powerful... exhausting. She felt she could stay afloat only because it was Ryo the one who hold her on; leaving his arms would have meant drowning. Rika tied her arms around his neck, pressing her lips harder against his own, allowing her tongue to dance against Ryo's. She heard her soft moans echoing inside the cave and she couldn't help but feeling a little embarrassed.

Ryo's right hand had to leave her waist to hold on to the rock against her back, while his left hand slid down her body, grabbing her right buttock and pushing her up a little. She crossed again her legs behind his back, to strengthen her hold. Now, she could feel the tip of Ryo's erection pressing against her lower lips, only two pieces of light fabric separating them... one of her hands slid down Ryo's chest, trying to reach the elastic band of his boxers to free his manhood from the swimsuit... but suddenly someone shouted out loud from outside the cave.

"RYO! RIKA! ARE YOU OKAY?!"

Both of them jumped back, breaking their kiss and their embrace, panting breathlessly.

"RYO! RIKA!" shouted again the voice, one, two, three times.

"YEAH, WE ARE HERE, TAKATO!" shouted Ryo back, angrily. Without looking at her, he dove underwater, swimming quickly towards the entrance of the cave.

Rika panted hard, a hand holding her against the rock and the other one on her heart, which pulsated furiously.

* * *

_I'll try to update as soon as I can. Promise! _

_xoxo L._


	4. 3 Chapter: His Quandary

…**:Chains:…**

_Hello everybody! I'm sorry for the wait, but this week has been very busy for me. I've been writing and rewriting this chapter since Monday, I wasn't quite sure how to handle Ryo. Forgive me for inserting a character from the first two series, I know it's not chronologically or "story-linelly" correct, but I didn't want to insert too many OCs. Just take it as a parallel version of him or... whatever. _

_Anyway, hope you'll enjoy and review it! Xoxo L._

**Chapter 3. His quandary**

_Everything is fine, just fine._

_I had absolute control of the situation._

_I would have certainly stopped in time. _

_No doubt. _

_There is no question. _

Ryo smiled to himself, starring at the ceiling. He was lying on his bed, the sun rising and lighting up a new dawn.

He got up quickly, cracking his neck to the left and to the right.

Ryo couldn't sleep all night long and felt his body aching, his mind foggy. He could still feel Rika's cold body against his own, her slender curves pressing against his hot skin; the salty taste of her lips, her teeth nibbling his lower lip, their tongues frantically intertwined together. Those thoughts were literally driving him crazy. Those memories and the feelings they recalled kept on repeating endlessly in his mind; he couldn't stop wondering what would have happened if Takato, Henry, Kazu and Kenta hadn't come to rescue them with that life raft.

He was convincing himself that he was in control of the situation; that his mind was clear enough to stop in time. Rika was only sixteen and he really liked to think she was still virgin – she definitely had to be, otherwise he would have gone mad. The idea of some stiff laying his dirty hands on her... it... it...

A fit of jealousy caught Ryo, making him toss a chair to the ground. Then, he leant against the hold dressing table of the room, breathing deeply. The images of the day before kept on flashing in Ryo's mind. He looked at his face through the reflection of the mirror in front of himself. His eyes were red and he had deep purple circles under them. He smiled bitterly to himself.

"You were just going to fuck her without thinking about it twice, you damn asshole." He whispered before leaving the mirror.

* * *

Ryo just came out of the cold shower after spending the early morning jogging along the beach. Running helped him to free his mind and the icy water cleaned his body from his sense of guilt. After drying his body, he reached out for another towel to dry his hair, but he found none. So he went out of the bathroom with only his joggers on to reach the storage closet where clean towels and sheets were kept.

As he opened the half-closed door of the closet, he was surprised to find Rika in there; she didn't notice him, since she had her back towards the door. She was on tiptoes, trying to put some clean linen on the highest shelf of the closet. In this way, the lower part of her t-shirt raised every time she stretched her arms up, showing part of her white skin. After watching for a while her naked hips, Ryo entered the room silently and helped her from behind, taking the sheets and putting them on the shelf with no effort. Rika startled, surprised: she hadn't noticed him on the door and was caught off guard. She flattened herself against the shelves, her eyes lowered in embarrassment.

"Sorry to bother you, just searching for a towel." Ryo said in a low and apathetic voice, which made Rika star at him with surprise and concern.

The air was tense and heavy; no one spoke nor looked at the other. As Ryo took a towel from a shelf, Rika went towards the door. He sighed deeply, looking at the towel in his hands, as he heard the door closing. There was only darkness around him, now. For a moment, he insulted himself for letting her go without saying anything. Then, he realized that Rika hadn't left the room, she had just closed the door behind her back and now she was leaning there, her arms crossed behind her hips. In the darkness, Ryo walked slowly towards her, leaving the towel on the floor.

He had to talk to her absolutely about...

He forgot everything in the moment he smelled her good scent. Her long hair was left down and he reached it with his hand, taking a lock of her vermilion hair and letting it slide gently through his fingers.

He had to tell her...

But his brain shut completely off when he felt her tiny fingers touching lightly his naked arm.

Ryo blocked her against the door with his hands, as he leant towards her to meet her lips once again. This time, Rika was the hot one, while Ryo's lips and body were still cold due to the icy shower.

This kiss was quite different from the one of the day before: it started slowly, timidly, her hot full lips tasting sweetly his cold ones. But Ryo decided it wasn't enough: he wanted more, he wanted her, he wanted her everything. His hands slid down from the door along her body, stopping on her hips and slipping under her t-shirt. Rika moaned softly and locked her arms around his neck, sinking her fingers in his wet hair.

As his hands wandered ravenously on her back, he realized she wasn't wearing her bra: taking her shirt off would have meant undressing her in one move.

Ryo had to lean against the wall with one hand not to lose his self-control. There, he felt something like a piece of paper shrivelling up in his grip: it was a calendar. As he saw the date in the dim light, he abruptly interrupted the kiss, distancing himself from Rika.

She breathed hard, gasping due to the lack of air. He touched his lips, starring at the ground, transfixed.

"This is the last time we kiss, Rika." He said, flatly.

Rika stopped breathing, crossing her arms to look tougher – but she only needed to steady herself in order not to slide on the ground for the shock.

"Are you already done? Are you satisfied? Have you entertained yourself enough?" she asked, trying to sound furious. But her trembling voice betrayed her word after word.

"It's not like that... it's definitely not like that." Ryo said, but it was more like a whisper to himself rather than an answer to Rika's questions. Saying that, he went out of the closet without adding anything and she found herself in the darkness, alone, once again.

* * *

Ryo sat on the shore, watching waves crushing on the sand. The sun was setting behind the horizon, the wind was ruffling his hair and the air smelled like salty water. His friends were far behind him, and he could feel Rika's eyes against his shoulder, boring holes in his back only with the force of her stare. In that moment, she had to hate him very much.

Suddenly, someone stopped by Ryo's side. The boy lifted his eyes to meet the green ones of a nice girl of about his age: her carrot-coloured hair was long and wavy, and she had a large mouth. Nice smile, but definitely a too large mouth.

"Hi!" she trilled with her high voice. "I'm Kumi."

"Hi!" he smiled. "I'm Ryo."

"Are you alone here?"

"No, my friends are over there."

"Oh, well, I meant if you are alone in _another _sense..." she smiled, maliciously.

"Oh..." Ryo giggled, embarrassed. He thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I am."

"Great! You know, I've been watching you for some days and... well, I wanted to invite you to tonight's beach party." She said, handing out a flyer to Ryo. "You know, tonight's my birthday party and since I'm getting 20 I want to say goodbye to my _young adultness _going the whole hog. You can't miss it. And if you are lucky, maybe you can win a special prize..." she said, winking at him and leaving him to run to her friends, giggling and honking.

He smiled to himself bitterly, watching the flyer and the date written on it. Sighing, he turned back to see where Rika was, but he only saw Kenta and Kazu making signs of victory to him. Rika was no longer there.

* * *

Rika disappeared for the whole dinner and the girls were with her. They brought some trays in their room and had dinner there. The boys ate alone and they talked about that evening's party. Ryo couldn't stop wondering about what had happened. No one knew: Henry only told him that at a certain point Rika left the beach and the girls followed her to the house.

Ryo decided to knock on the door of their room, but on the stairs he met Alice.

"Hey, Alice... what's happening?" he asked, worried.

Alice sighed deeply, looking concerned.

"Rika's not well."

"Why?"

"Well, she... I thought she was only furious because she saw you talking to that chick, but you know... I'm afraid she's been really unwell since this morning..."

"What?! Is she ill? Shall I take her to the hospital?!" he asked, deeply concerned.

Alice laughed a little.

"Hey calm down Hotshot, she's fine. She only suffers of low blood pressure. You know, it only happens to her during very hot days, but she feels really bad. She should take some medical drops to raise her pressure, but you know her, she's just so stubborn... she keeps on arguing she doesn't need it. But she does. Anyway, she's fine now. Just leave her rest for a while. And hey, you're supposed to get ready for the party!" Alice said, quietly.

"No, I think I'm not going..."

"Why not?" asked suddenly a voice.

They both turned to see Rika standing on the stairwell, her arms crossed.

"Rika, are you fine?" Ryo asked, worried.

"Of course I am. I was just getting ready for tonight's party." She smiled, mischievously.

"Rika Nonaka, I don't think this is a good idea." Alice reprimanded her.

"Why not?" Rika said as she climbed down the stairs towards the hall, passing through Ryo and Alice. "Someone said tonight people are going to win prizes... I definitely don't want to lose it!"

Hearing those words made Ryo turning red. So she _had_ heard what Kumi said. Rika disappeared towards the kitchen and Ryo ran down the stairs to follow her. She was taking a pill at the kitchen counter.

"Rika, I need to explain..."

"Wait, I'm taking the pill."

"What pill?!" asked Ryo, seeing she was taking it from a blister containing 21 pills, each one with a day signed above.

"_That _pill."

Ryo starred at her wordless and she smiled half-amused and half-naughty. One million not-so-innocent thoughts fogged Ryo's mind as she took the contraceptive pill. Rika immediately understood what Ryo was thinking and decided to explain before he could misunderstand it all – as he usually did.

"You know, I started taking it because of my pressure and period problems, but you know... maybe tonight it can turn out useful to win a prize, too." She said spitefully, turning her back to Ryo who remained there, petrified.

* * *

Ryo had been drinking _a lot_. But still it wasn't enough. He could still think and react too clearly, otherwise he would have already been making out with Kumi, who was there constantly by his side. Rika was stuck there in his mind: her words, her naughty smirks, her kisses, everything. He was relieved she didn't go out that night, eventually.

The beach was full of people and there were only beach lanterns and fires to light it up. Ryo lied on a beach chair with Kumi sitting by his side. He looked at the drink in his hand: he couldn't understand what it was, but it tasted sour and bitter. And it couldn't tell how many drinks he had already swallowed, but he surely needed many more to lose his perfect and tested self-control. The only one who managed to make him losing it was...

"Hey, Ryo-kun." Kumi said, smiling with her broad mouth.

"Mh?"

"I'm sorry your friend decided to go to the other beach."

"Wha...? All of my friends are here with us." He said, giggling numbly.

"Not the red-headed."

"Mh? Oh, well, she didn't even get out of the house, at the end..."

"Maybe not in front of you, because I'm sure I saw her hanging out with a group of boys to the other beach nearly an hour ago."

"Wh..." Ryo said, jumping up from the chair. "W-where?!"

"On the other beach nearby..." Kumi answered, giggling and stretching her arms towards him. "Why don't you come here with me on the lounger?"

"Well, I... later! I've gotta go now!" Ryo answered, running at lightning speed towards the other beach.

"I'll wait for you!" she screamed, lying on the lounger and falling immediately asleep.

His heart was throbbing furiously, he was sure he was going to vomit it together with all the alcohol and last Christmas's dinner. Now Ryo could clearly feel the sand unstable under his feet and the horizon curving in front of him. In fact, he nearly tripped on his foot and risked smashing his face on a group of rocks. But he got instantly up, going beyond the cliff and finally reaching the other beach, where another party was going on.

He searched relentlessly for Rika and asked a few people if they saw a red-headed girl. A boy – one with a familiar face, maybe Ryo had already seen him on the beach – told him she was with a friend of his, called T.K. They had gone to the cliff at the end of the beach. As Ryo saw the cliff, he nearly wanted to die: it was far away, isolated and completely dark.

He rushed towards it breathlessly and as he reached it, he could hear clearly two voices talking softly: one of a boy and the other one was... Rika's. He sighed in relief; probably he hadn't laid a finger on her yet... or maybe it was already too late. Ryo approached silently the point where T.K. and Rika were sitting. She was beautiful: her long hair was let down and she was wearing a white nice dress – definitely not her style, really, it had to be Alice's or Jeri's. But the light blue Converse at her feet maintained something of her real self.

They were drinking from a bottle of vodka and Rika giggled out loud: she had to be already drunk.

"You know, when you laugh you really remind me of my girlfriend in Tokyo." He said, taking a sip from the bottle.

"And why is she in Tokyo and not here with you?"

"Maybe because destiny wanted me to meet you." T.K. said, smiling charmingly.

"Or maybe because destiny wanted her to study so she could pass all of her exams?" Rika smiled nervously, diverting her gaze in embarrassment. She was clearly feeling uncomfortable in that situation.

"Or maybe because destiny wanted me to smash that bottle on your head?"

T.K. and Rika turned quickly back to see who had just spoken; Ryo was standing there, a furious expression on his face.

"RYO! What are you doing here?!" Rika cried out, shocked.

"Just fucking up your romantic date with Mister Charming Prince here." Ryo said, approaching the blond guy.

"Nobody asked you to do so." Rika hissed, angrily.

"Fortunately I'm drunk enough not to give a fuck about what you're saying, even because you're drunker than I am."

"You seem to be a little too nervous, my friend." T.K. said, gazing seriously at Ryo.

"And you seem to be a little too flirty tonight, my dear 'you-really-remind-me-of-my-cuckolded-girlfriend-in-Tokyo' friend." Ryo replied, grabbing Rika's arm.

The atmosphere suddenly became too heavy to bear and Rika sighed, deeply.

"Okay, fine, let's stop this because... it's ridiculous. T.K., maybe you should come back to your friends."

T.K. hesitated for a moment, looking at her and then at him.

"You sure?"

"Yes, don't worry...we just need to unravel some things."

"Fine then. Have fun." T.K. said, leaving them with a disappointed expression.

"You too, _my friend_." Ryo smirked, ironically.

Rika jerked her arm from Ryo's grab and strode towards the way to their house.

"Oh fuck... come on, Rika..." Ryo complained, following her and tripping all along the way. Even Rika kept on stumbling in the middle of the darkness, until she reached another dark beach and let herself slide on the ground.

"I'm lost... I'm too drunk to know where to go." She whispered, holding her aching head in her hands.

"Well, I'm drunk too but I can still remember that our house is on the other side of the beach."

"Then you should have told me before coming here!" she cried out, throwing a bunch of sand against him.

"Rika, stop it." Ryo sighed, definitely out of patience.

"Fuck off, Ryo. What do you want from me?! This morning you broke up with me and now you're acting jealous?! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!" she screamed, desperately and furiously.

"Stop screaming Rika, my head is exploding..."

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

"I-I... we can't break up today, okay?! Not today... but tomorrow we... " he answered, confusedly.

"WHY NOT TODAY?!"

"BECAUSE TODAY'S MY FUCKING BIRTHDAY, RIKA! AND STOP SCREAMING!" Ryo shouted back, letting himself falling on the ground.

"What...?" she replied, surprised.

"Today's my fucking birthday... from today I'm 20."

"But I thought it was that Kumi-girl's birthday today..."

"Well, mine too. Your friend T.K. would have said 'this must be destiny' or something like that, but... you know... you're the only destiny I want, Rika... but I can't... I can't..."

"Why not Ryo..."

"Because I'm fucking 20 and you're just 16, and you should do things at the right age and I'm... I'm out of control when I'm with you and... I can't promise you'll be safe by my side and... I... I can't stand it. I want you to be safe, because I'm fucking in love with you even though you're still a teenager and from now today on I need to become a fucking adult and—"

"Okay, stop." Rika said, crawling towards him through the sand. "You're a fucking idiot that cares about stupid things and has stupid thoughts. Where's my Heroboy who plays the Hotshot and does not give a fuck about anything?" she muttered, leaning closer to his face. Their breaths both smelled like alcohol, both her minds were completely dazed. "I'm not too young for you... and you're so 'hotshottedly' childish that you act like a sixteen-year-old brat..."

Ryo giggled lightly and then he suddenly embraced her in his strong arms.

"Rika... I'm dying for you..." he whispered as he started kissing her soft neck.

Rika moaned, surprised, and buried her face against his neck. Ryo cupped his hands around her cheeks, caressing them lightly.

"Ryo, we're... too...dr—"

Rika tried to protest, but Ryo hushed her with a deep kiss. Their tongues immediately found the same pace and intensity. It was becoming something familiar to them: they started to understand the rhythm of their kisses, to memorize the movements of their lips. Ryo came to know Rika's most sensitive spots and the shape of her curves without looking. Rika understood Ryo's weak points, such as her hands grabbing his hair or her nails scratching his neck.

Rika pressed herself against him, sitting astride on his lap. She could feel he was already more than aroused: the thought delighted her and made her smirk a little during their kiss. Suddenly, Ryo took her hips and overturned their positions, forcing Rika to lie on the sand. Instinctively, she stretched out her legs, letting Ryo lying over her. Their kisses became frantic and intense, they nearly hurt each other.

Ryo's lips glided through her neck, kissing and biting her skin passionately. At the same time, his left hand slid under her skirt, along her smooth thigh and then reaching her already wet panties.

As he touched her most sensitive spot through the fabric of her underwear, they both moaned, excited. Rika could feel his arousal pressing against her thigh and felt her mind going blank. As Ryo slid one finger under her panties, in the middle of her daze, a thought sparkled in Rika's mind, suddenly.

"We can't...!" she asserted in a low voice, but he didn't seem to hear her. "Ryo, stop... we can't... we're drunk... this is my first... I can't..." she repeated, trying to push him away.

As soon as he felt her fist hitting his shoulder, Ryo got up quickly, stumbling.

"Oh God, Rika... I'm..." he said out of breath, going pale.

"It's fine, Ryo... it's just that I... we're drunk... and I..." as she said it, Ryo helped her up leaning his hand to her.

"I'm so sorry... I should have stopped immediately... that's exactly what I meant before Rika... we can't be together. We can't. I can't..." He said in distressed, walking away without adding anything.

"Ryo! Stop, please!"

"I'm taking you home, Rika. Let's go." Ryo said without turning, but she heard clearly his voice trembling in shock and desperation.


	5. 4 Chapters: Her Desires

…**:Chains:…**

_Just one thing to say: rated M. Because this is Ryuki's highest expression._

* * *

**Chapter 4. Her desires**

It was hot. Damn hot.

Rika grunted, passing the back of her hand on the forehead. It was sweaty and hot.

She leant against the wooden railing at the end of the beach, in a shadowy area, looking at her friends far away: Takato, Jeri, Kenta and Henry were in water, while Ryo, Kazu and Alice stayed under the sun umbrella. Kumi and some of her friends were there too, talking loudly with Kazu – Ryo remained in silence and didn't seem to care much about their presence. Kumi talked to him a couple of times, but he just smiled lightly or replied nodding. He kept on watching the sea with an intense look on his face.

Rika smiled. She knew what he was thinking. She was sure he will be coming to apologize within the end of the day and then... well, he was already hers, Rika could feel it: by the way in which he looked at her and especially by the exaggerated concerned he showed towards her. Even though his anxieties risked putting that fragile relationship in danger, she couldn't help but like it: his cares, his worries, his concerned look... she liked everything about him. Ryo, who usually was so sure and proud of himself, with her showed his weaknesses. It was a kind of victory to her. Even though admitting she liked him was a kind of victory for him. They were in a tie, once again.

In the middle of her amused thought, though, something strange happened.

Everything moved. Trembled. Blurred.

It had happened only for a very brief moment, but she could feel it arriving. Her head was starting to feel heavy; she began to see colourful speckles fogging her vision. She could hear Alice's voice in her mind: "Today's gonna be hot and sultry, you should take you pressure drops!". And she was damn right.

The ground was unstable under her feet. At first she felt she could handle it, but then her legs became weak and heavy, her head spinning quickly. Rika humbly decided to reach her friends under her umbrella. She wanted to reach _him_. Before it...

Now the sea was twisting in front of her eyes and the world was darkening quickly.

But then she heard it.

She could hear it clearly...

It was Ryo's voice calling her name out aloud.

Sure, even though he acted nonchalantly, he was surely watching her from far away. Rika was sure. He had been watching over her all morning.

Her knees hit the boiling sand with a dull thud.

And his voice seemed to be farther and farther away.

But as Rika closed definitely her eyes, she felt his strong arm grabbing firmly her shoulders before her head could hit the ground.

The last thing Rika heard before her consciousness faded into darkness were Ryo's voice calling her name desperately and Alice's smartass voice: "I've told her to take the drops this morning."

* * *

She opened her eyes slowly, waken up by a strange sense of cold against her skin. Rika looked dazed around her: she was lying in an unfamiliar double bed, in a room illuminated only by a dim pale blue light coming from the lowered window shade. Although the curtain was let down, the window behind it was slightly open, letting in a cool airstream which gave her goose bumps. Outside, she could hear a lonely cicada chirping aloud over the distant crashing of waves.

It was an extremely relaxing situation and Rika closed her eyes, breathing in the salty air that was cooling her skin. She could smell also something different: it was Ryo's scent, coming directly from the sheets under her body. That had to be Ryo's room.

After a few minutes of relax, she started feeling a little too cold. She turned around and saw her mobile phone lying on the bedside table, so she took it. On the display flashed two SMS from her mother and one hundred lost calls from both her and her grandmother. In the text messages, Rumiko was worried about her health. Rika sighed lightly and called her. Her mother answered immediately, telling she had been calling her all afternoon and that Alice answered instead. Her friend had told her about Rika's fainting and now she was so worried she could take a flight to Okinawa right away.

"Don't worry, mum. I'm fine now." Rika said, sighing. She had to promise her she would be taking her pressure drops and that she would not spend the hottest hours of the day on the beach.

In that moment, Ryo slowly opened the door and when he saw her awake, he gave her one of his most charming smiles. Rika felt her cheeks burning hot; she swiftly got rid of her mother in three words and hung up the telephone.

"Wow, you should teach me that when my father calls me." Ryo said as he approached her by the side of the bed.

Rika sat up slowly as Ryo leaned by her side, helping her with his left arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, you're so cold!" he uttered, surprised.

"Yeah, the current of air coming from that window is quite cool." She replied, muttering with a very low weak voice. Sitting up after so many hours asleep hadn't been a great idea: she could already feel her head spinning, although the fresh airstream made her feel better. As she rubbed her eyelids, Ryo got up and closed the window.

"Hey, that made me feel better!" she protested.

"No, these will!" he replied, handing her the pressure drops Alice had given him with a spoon.

Rika pulled a face, annoyed, but she obediently put some drops on the spoon and gulped them down.

"Ew…" she complained, disgusted.

Ryo smiled lightly, sitting by her side.

"Good girl!" he said, patting her head in amusement.

Rika grunted, slapping away his hand and giving back to him spoon and drops phial.

"Maybe you should have taken them this morning and not after fainting in the middle of the beach. You scarred me to death." He protested, seriously.

Rika smirked mischievously, instead. "Oh, don't tell me you didn't enjoy acting as my saviour in the middle of a crowded beach? The Heroboy saving the fainting damsel by taking her in his arms. How poetic."

"Not, I swear I didn't since I was going to have a heart attack." He protested.

Rika smirked lightly, leaning her head against his shoulder. He embraced her from behind, wrapping his arm around her collarbone.

"So what? You've already changed your mind?" she asked as she felt his lips caressing her head.

"You confuse me. You confuse me a lot. I hate being confused." He murmured against her hair.

"I can't understand what you're worrying about." She asked, closing her eyes and relaxing against his chest. It felt so good, so natural… so safe.

"I worry about hurting you."

"That's funny since the only thing you've been doing in your life since we met is protecting me." She stated, naturally.

He sniggered lightly, kissing her head and caressing her long loose hair.

"Yeah, I must admit I've actually saved you more than a couple of times. You really are a reckless wildcat."

"Maybe I've done that on purpose." She pouted, pinching him hard on the arm.

"So you only wanted to catch my attention?"

"Or maybe I was only trying to kill you indirectly without arousing suspicions."

"So it's about my safety and not yours I should really be worrying about?!" he laughed, amused.

"Hey, my killing attempts were serious, don't make fun of me." She said, wiggling out of his embrace and getting on her knees in front of him. She crossed her arms around his neck, leaning her face closer to his. "They still are, you know. My lips are super poisonous right now, like Poison Ivy's."

"…and she was a red-head too. I think I've just found a new nickname for you." He smirked, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Too bad you won't live long enough to use it." She whispered, before letting her lips touching his in a warm, long-awaited kiss. That kiss was calm, delicate, sweet. They savoured each other's lips slowly, without hurry, at the beginning. Ryo's arms embraced Rika as his hands started wandering along her back, feeling parts of her soft skin as her turquoise tank top lifted under his touch. Rika's right hand sank her fingers in Ryo's thick hair and her left one slid along his white shirt, caressing delicately his back.

Ryo's delicate and loving touch made Rika burn: she felt on fire, her skin burning hot, her brain completely shut. She was victim of her lust and she could only obey to her heart and to something burning under her belly.

Rika cancelled every distance between her and his body, embracing him tightly and sitting on his lap, where she felt immediately something big, hard and definitely aroused pressing through his jeans. She interrupted the kiss, sliding her tongue down Ryo's jaw, his neck, his collarbone. In the meanwhile, she rubbed and pressed her most sensitive part against Ryo's manhood, making him moan intensely.

"Ah… Rika don't… do that… too much…" he muttered, suffering.

"Shh…" she hushed him, nibbling at his earlobe with her little teeth.

"You're playing a very dangerous game, you know?" he groaned, sliding his hands under top, following the line of her spine with his fingers.

Rika sighed, arching her back and moaning.

"They're the only games we can play, right?" she mumbled, excited.

"Then let's play, my queen." He sniggered, lifting abruptly her top and leaving her white skin naked in front of his eyes.

Rika moaned deeply and then yelped as she felt Ryo's hand holding her breast and his lips sucking her hardened nipple. It had all been so sudden she had difficulties in realizing what was happening. But she couldn't understand clearly anymore, she just felt guided by her lust. Her arms embraced Ryo's neck as he kept on kissing her breasts, making her moan deeply and excitedly.

Impatiently, Rika slid her hands under Ryo's t-shirt, grabbing its end and lifting it up, nearly tearing it off. He left Rika's breasts for a moment in order to help her undress his chest. As soon as he removed his shirt, he grab Rika's waist and he pressed her on the mattress, overturning their positions. They kissed and kissed and kissed: endlessly, ravenously, breathlessly. They kissed so deep and hard it hurt.

Rika felt her breasts pressed against Ryo's hot chest, his arousal pressing harder and harder against his jeans. As he started kissing and biting intensely her soft neck, her hand slid along his chest and reached the button of his jeans, untying and unzipping it.

"You sure? There's no coming back from here on …" he whispered, caressing her cheek.

"Why are always talking?" she hushed him once again, sliding her tongue between his lips to kiss him intensely.

She felt Ryo's hands gliding through her body, down towards her shorts. There he pulled off her jeans pants and her underwear with a tug and Rika felt somewhat delighted: that impetuous side of his character really drove her crazy.

Ryo gave her a deep kiss, savouring her soft lips and dancing slowly with her tongue as he bustled with his jeans. At a certain point, he took both Rika's hands with his own, accompanying them over her head and chaining her wrists against the pillow.

"I can't wait any longer Rika…" he whispered against her ear as he pressed his forehead against her collarbone. She could feel his manhood rubbing against her lower part, which was throbbing with juices and lust. She stretched out a little more her legs, leaving room for Ryo to move freely, and she felt the tip pressing against her opening with little delicate thrusts. She was so wet the tip slid inside her immediately and she felt an intense pain spreading through her lower belly, so much she gulped a little. Ryo realized it right away and stopped, leaving one of Rika's wrists and distancing himself from her. She was going to protest but he slid one finger inside of her, slowly at first and then quicker. This time it felt good and Rika let herself go a little, breathing deeply and following the rhythm of Ryo's hand. He slid another finger inside of her, leaning his forehead on her belly and gasping for air. He felt her abdomen lifting and lowering depending on the points he touched within her. Her skin was sweaty and hot, and he could feel the sweet smell coming from her secret place and it was all driving him crazy. He was going to explode, literally.

"Rika, I…"

"Okay, Ryo, let's do it." She whispered, sighing and grabbing tightly his hair.

"If it hurts… just tell me." He replied with a low voice, taking out his fingers slowly and placing himself over her.

"If it hurts, I will take my revenge later." She whispered, embracing him tightly as his tip started pressing against her softer part. It nearly slipped all inside of her with one thrust, which hurt her a little more than before. In order to suffocate her suffering moans, she bit hard Ryo's shoulder and she plunged her nails into his shoulders.

"Ouch, you're a damn… wildcat…" he whispered, before starting to thrust slowly inside of her.

Then, she couldn't understand anything at all. Everything became confused and dazed and foggy. She only felt pain and then pleasure and his thrusts becoming stronger and quicker and her head was throbbing and her heart exploding. It was like dying and rebirthing and sleeping and dreaming and… no, it was a sensation different from all others. It was earth-quaking and painfully pleasing.

Then everything exploded into one million lights and she couldn't help but scream against Ryo's skin. She had never screamed like that in her whole life. And then everything went black.

Her head fell on the pillow and she gasped for air. She had never felt so exhausted in all her life – especially if all she had done was lying on a bed.

She felt Ryo laying his head over her breasts, panting breathlessly against her skin. As she looked down, Rika saw a series of deep, red, bleeding scratches all over his back and she bit lightly her lower lip, smiling sadistically amused.

"I'm so fucking in love you, my wildcat…" he murmured, dozily.

"That's so sweet of you, Hotshot…" she sniggered, keeping on caressing his hair until they both fell deeply asleep.

* * *

The creaking of the door lightly woke her up. She opened her eyes slowly, tucking herself under the covers. She felt strange and it took her a while to realize she was completely naked under the light sheet that was covering her. Then everything came back to her mind like a long series of flashes and she blushed deeply, completely disappearing under the covers.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ryo's voice asked, lowly, as he sat by her side on the bed.

"Nowhere" she replied, popping out suddenly, covering her body from her breasts downwards with the sheet. She combed her hair with her fingers in order to hide her nervousness: she didn't know how to react after… _that_.

Ryo was acting nonchalantly, instead. He smiled broadly, taking a lock of her red long hair and putting it behind her ear.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Already half past ten in the night, my queen. You've slept a lot." He replied, smirking.

"You could have woken me up." She grunted.

"Why? You were adorably sleeping completely naked in my bed: my lifetime dream coming true."

"OKAY, STOP THAT." She burst out, embarrassed.

"I told everyone you were very tired, but I'm afraid Alice realized everything." He sneered, impishly.

"Realized what?" she replied, amused.

"Hey. You aren't going to play dumb, are you?" he pouted, annoyed.

"No. It's just that it has been all so fast I can hardly remember it." She smirked, mischievously.

"HEY! That was bad!" he complained, pinching her cheek.

"Then maybe we should do it again more slowly… I think there are a few points I don't remember very well." She sneered.

Ryo smiled broadly, half pleased half embarrassed.

"Only if you have a blood sack for a transfusion… I nearly lost two litres of blood thanks to your wildcat nails!"

"You know, Akiyama…" she whispered, crossing her arms around his neck. "You just keep on talking too much."

And she hushed Ryo Akiyama again for the next four hours.

* * *

_This is just the beginning… now they've begun, they're not going to end it that easily. (Mwahhahah)_

_I'll try to update as soon as I can. XoXo L._


	6. 5 Chapter: Unchained

…**:Chains:…**

_I'm soooo sorry for the delay in updating, but I've had so many troubles with family and work. Life is sooo hard and unfair. _

_Next chapter will be the last. Hope you will enjoy the reading. Please, leave a review if you wish and thank you to all those who are following this fanfiction!_

_I own the closet idea entirely to __Marcy/Lady Maryon__, so thank you for inspiring me. - transl. __"Devo l'idea dell'armadio interamente a Marcy/Lady Maryon, quindi grazie mille per avermi ispirata.__"_

* * *

**Chapter 5. Unchained **

He slowly opened his eyes to see his room illuminated by a dim light. His head felt foggy and heavy, and his back seared. A cold shiver went down his spine and he instinctively got closer to the warm, tiny body sleeping deeply in his arms.

It was strange being like this with Rika: so intimate, so close, so... together. One night before they had sex and since then they couldn't stop. They were literally craving each other so badly.

So, the morning after their first night together…

_Rika said to their friends she wasn't feeling any well yet and that she wasn't going to the beach. She was such a good liar that Ryo nearly fell for it. Jeri offered to stay with Rika, but Alice complained because she didn't want to spend all day with boys alone. Then Alice gave Ryo and Rika a knowing glance. Embarrassedly, Ryo said that he had some university books he needed to study, so he could stay home with Rika without problems. Kazu complained vividly about it, but Henry and Takato managed to make him stop by proposing a ping-pong challenge on the beach. _

"_Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?" Kazu whimpered, exiting the door with the other tamers._

"_Just go and have fun, Kazu." Said Ryo, smiling. _Because I definitely will_._

_As soon as the tamers disappeared in the horizon, Ryo smirked. He turned back quickly, ready to rush towards Rika's room, but he stopped as he saw her already sitting on the stairs, smirking back at him._

"_Impatient, Wildcat?" he said with a mischievous smile, approaching her slowly._

"_Of what? To see you study? A lot." She replied, crossing her legs and leaning her back against a step. "What did you have to study?"_

"_Um… I've started with 'Introduction to Wildcat Dynamics' and 'Finite Elements in Pumpkin Analysis'…" he said in a low and sexy voice, climbing the first two steps and leaning over Rika. "But I think I'll change to 'Directed Study of the Queen's body'…" he said, as he started kissing and biting her neck, making her moan and shiver under his touch. His mouth then slid down her collarbone, her breasts, her belly, as his hands slowly and gently unbuttoned and removed her shorts. "And I can even start studying 'Control of Structures and Fluids'…" he said, as he slid even lower, under her belly, to her most secret place…_

Ryo smiled satisfied as he remembered what happened next on those stairs. Rika begging him to stop because they were on the stairs, her pleased expression and her loud moans and screams that could be heard all around the house. He had to admit that it was not the most comfortable place on earth, but it had been extremely exciting.

"Why are you smiling like an idiot?" Rika's dozy voice asked, as she snuggled between his arms, her head comfortably lying on his chest.

"I was thinking about yesterday."

"About what?"

"What you think?"

"Mh… I'm uncertain… not sure if about Kazu monopolizing you all evening long to make you play table football with him or about us on the stairs and then on the table and then on the bed…"

Ryo laughed lightly, amused, as he caressed her hair with his lips.

"Let's see if I can put your doubts straight…" he whispered as he overturned their positions, blocking her wrists against the mattress. He could already see her nipples getting harder and feel his mind hazing at light speed. He leaned over her and started kissing her breast, when a loud shrill rang from downstairs.

"Hey Rika!" shouted Jeri "Do you remember we are going to the city centre this morning?!"

"What?!" asked Ryo, distancing himself from her.

Rika made a painfully guilty expression, took a sheet to cover herself and went to the door, opening it slightly.

"Yeah, Jeri, I'm comin'. Give me 10 minutes!" she replied, as she started looking for her clothes all around Ryo's room.

"What?! 10 minutes?! Not even the time for a couple of kisses?" he asked, depressed.

"Yesterday you played table football all evening with your baby, today's my turn." She smiled lightly as she dressed herself. "I promised her two days ago. We will make up this afternoon, promise." Rika blinked, before exiting the room.

Ryo snorted in disappointment, covering himself with those sheets that still smelled like her, feeling his lower parts pulsing painfully.

"Time to get a cold shower."

* * *

It was strange being like this with Ryo. But not the strange way Rika thought. She had to admit it… she nearly felt… happy. As she walked around the city with Jeri and Alice, Rika smiled and joked around all the time, playful and light-hearted.

"Uh-uh… someone's happy today." Chirped Alice, playfully elbowing Rika. "Are you in love, Rika-chan?"

Rika glared at her friend, elbowing her back. "Not as much as you are with Henry."

"Wooh, that's not true!" replied Alice, blushing quickly. "But… hey, you haven't denied my question!"

Rika stuck her tongue out, before running towards Jeri who was watching a shop window. She was staring at a cute undershirt top with some funny pigs printed on it, but some sexy lingerie caught Rika's eye: it was a black lace matching set of brasserie and panties.

"You should get those if you want to make Ryo happy." Alice whispered in Rika's ear.

Rika watched Alice with a mischievous expression.

"That won't last not even for five seconds on me."

"Oh c'mon, that seems to be quite comfortable."

"That's not what I mean." Replied Rika with a malicious smile, before leaving the shop window.

"OH MY GOD, RIKA! Are you making explicit sexual allusions?!"

Yes, she was. And she felt like she needed more. More practice than allusions, actually.

* * *

The girls came back for lunch, but the boys surprised them by preparing dinner on their own. When Rika entered the kitchen, Ryo was tasting some rice from a pot.

"Welcome back, Miss Shopaholic. Want some rice?" he asked, offering her the spoon.

Rika tasted the rice and licked her lips with her tongue.

"Don't do that." He said, staring intently at her thin lips.

"Why not?" Rika replied, licking slowly all the spoon surface with her tongue.

"Rika…" said Ryo, feeling the heat rushing immediately all over his body. "…I swear, you make me…" but he couldn't finish the sentence, since he blocked Rika against the table. She sat on it and opened her legs, letting Ryo coming into her arms. He leant closer to her face, ready to kiss her intensely, but suddenly the door flung open. Rika immediately pushed Ryo backwards and he turned his back towards the rice pot.

"HEY RYO-SAAAN, IS THE RICE READY?!" asked Kenta, shouting as he entered the kitchen. "Hey Rika, why are you sitting on the table?"

"Um… I was checking Ryo. Didn't want him to burn the rice." Said Rika, as he got down the table.

"Thank you Rika." Said Ryo, acting nonchalantly, as she quickly left the room.

* * *

That was becoming exhausting. Since Rika felt fine all morning, she and Ryo were morally forced to go to the beach with all other tamers. It had been fun actually, but they couldn't spend a moment together. That morning, Ryo asked Rika to tell everyone about them, but she refused firmly: on one hand, she wanted her sentimental life to remain private; on the other hand she wanted to just… touch wood. Maybe it was just a moment, just a summer flirt. Nothing serious. And she was afraid that putting too many hopes in that story would have meant a broken heart.

They went playing beach volley all together and Rika wanted to stay against Ryo's team: she joined Henry, Alice and Kenta against Takato, Jeri, Kazu and Ryo. Rika's team was losing and Ryo's triumphant smile was there to remind her of that. Mischievously, Rika hit the ball with all her strength directly against Ryo's face, smacking hard his nose. Ryo groaned painfully, as he covered his nose with his hands.

"Oops…" she smirked, nastily.

"OHHH RYO-SAN! RIKA, ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Kazu cried out, shocked, as he saw some blood on Ryo's hand.

"Don't worry, he won't die for this." Rika yawned sarcastically, taking Ryo's arm. "C'mon, I'm taking you to the bar…"

"NO, HE NEEDS TO GO HOME!" sobbed Kazu, worried.

"Yep, I definitely need to go home. Rika, you come with me. Kazu, you stay here and win the match in my honour." Ryo said smiling, still pressing his t-shirt against his bleeding nose. As he said that, he took Rika's arm and dragged her with him.

"I DEFINITELY WILL, RYO-SAN!" Kazu shouted, full of energy.

"How can he be so dull?" Rika whispered.

"I don't know, but it's too funny to stop fooling him." Ryo smirked, foretasting what was going to happen next.

"Hey, but… has your nose already stopped bleeding?" asked Rika, surprised.

"Actually your hit made me bite my inner cheek. I just used some blood of my mouth to fool the others." Ryo grinned with his sly expression.

Rika just laughed a little, shaking her head.

Not even the time to close the door behind her, that Rika felt Ryo's hands pressing her shoulders against the wall. His lips pressed violently against hers, not leaving her time to breathe. His hands grabbed her hips firmly.

"Ryo, wait…" said Rika, interrupting the kiss and catching for air.

"No. I'm tired of waiting. I've been doing it since the first time I met you." He whispered sensually, with a serious expression on his face. He grabbed her left wrist with one hand, blocking her left arm in the air, as he pressed the other hand on her back, pushing her against his chest.

Rika felt something burning inside her stomach, her throat dried. She couldn't believe that one day that Legendary Idiot would have made such an incredible effect on her. Rika felt bewitched by his presence, by his touch, by his blazing passion. She was feeling defenseless for the first time in her life. And for the first time, she liked it damn much.

"No, Ryo… not in the hall again… someone may come in to check if you're okay…"

"I don't give a fuck." He replied, as he started biting her neck. "Let them know you're mine."

"Mmh… were you so reckless even with your ex-girlfriends?" Rika asked, doubtful.

"Why are you asking this right now?!" snorted Ryo, interrupting his neck-kissing. "You are ruining the atmosphere."

"Just wondering if you were the kind of boy who—"

"Who what? Who has sex whenever and wherever he wants restlessly? No, I usually don't. Even because I haven't had all those girlfriends your wicked mind is imagining of right now. And _this_ is something completely different from everything else."

"What you mean by _different_?!" Rika asked worriedly: were her kisses strange? Were her moans inappropriate?

"This is not sex." He said hitting the wall behind Rika's back. "This is _just_ love." He stated, before starting to kiss her again with even more passion.

Rika managed to escape again from his arms, slipping under his right arm.

"Is this a love declaration?!" she asked, her face red and her breath heavy.

"One of the millions I've already made to you? Yes." He replied, annoyed.

"Those weren't real."

"You didn't want them to be real. You never took me seriously, that's all."

"C'mon, how can you be… so sure… this is.." she asked, as she sat on the couch in the living-room, pensive.

"Rika. Being with you is like using cocaine." Ryo said, as he entered the living-room.

"Hallucinogen?" she asked, perplexed.

"No. Addictive." He smirked sensually as he offered her his hand. "When you have sex, it's just that. Once you get it, it's enough. What I feel for you is different. I know I will never get tired of having you, of staying by your side, of arguing with you. So just accept it."

Rika refused to take his hand, getting up on her own. She was acting nonchalantly, but he could clearly see her red cheeks.

"So when we are coming back to Tokyo…" she started saying, a little uncertain.

"…we will have to test all the furniture of my flat, that's compulsory." Ryo laughed a little as he reached her, embracing her from behind. "But now, my Queen, we still need to finish the testing of this house's furniture. Such as this couch." As he said that, he pushed her against the sofa and positioning himself over her.

Without adding anything, Rika smirked as she slid her hands under his t-shirt, taking it off. Ryo leant against her neck, starting kissing and biting it hardly, as his hands ran all over her body, making her shiver. She grabbed his hair, forcing his face against hers and starting a long and intense kiss. She was missing something: she liked feeling defenseless in his arms, but she also liked to feel in control of the situation. So, with a catlike reaction, she overturned their positions, sitting on Ryo's lap. Useless to say, Ryo was already extremely aroused by her presence. Delighted, Rika slowly untied her ponytail, leaving her long red hair fall along her back. Then, she slowly started to loosen the knot of the upper part of her bikini, staring with a malicious glare at Ryo.

"Damn Wildcat… if you do sexy things this slowly, you'll make me die here on this couch." He said painfully, swallowing hard as he watched bedazzle his queen's body framed by her red mane.

She replied only with a sly smile as she went down to undo even the other knot. As soon as Rika took off her bikini top, she blushed a little and she couldn't help it. Ryo leant over her breasts, but she took his wrists and tied them against the couch's arm, using her bikini top as a rope.

"WOHOHOH, this is becoming dangerous, Princess." Said Ryo, amused and excited.

"I think it's time for us to balance power in our couple." She whispered sensually in Ryo's ear.

"Oh yes. Balance it. Do whatever you want."

Rika giggle lightly, before starting kissing his neck and his collarbone. She bit lightly the profile of his jaw, as with one hand she loosened the lace of his swimsuit and took it slowly off. Rika felt Ryo's soft moans escaping from his lips, as he lied defenseless on the sofa, his eyes closed to enjoy those sensations completely. He wanted to act tough, but she knew very well he was completely in her control. With her tongue she slid along his chest, until she reached his aroused manhood. She was a little surprised, since she couldn't recall seeing it as big as it was in that moment. Rika closed her eyes, making herself courage. She knew very well what she had to do _now_: but it felt so embarrassing – although they had been doing many other things previously. But she had always been the passive object of the situation; it was Ryo the one who always acted first. Rika breathed deeply in ready to take Ryo's manhood in her mouth, but some voices coming from the doorway alarmed her.

"Really, I'm sure Ryo's fine without checking him." She heard Alice saying, from outside the door.

"I don't trust Rika, maybe she's curing him with poison!" Kazu replied, worried.

"Kazu, you're just exaggerating it! Rika really cares for Ryo!" Henry tried to help Alice.

As soon as they heard them talking, Ryo and Rika whispered in unison "FUCK!". She rushed towards Ryo's wrists, but he had already undone the knot.

"You were just acting!" Rika pouted whispering, as she took Ryo's t-shirt and swimsuit.

"Next time use handcuffs, Pumpkin. Coming on, let's rush upstairs." Ryo whispered, pushing her towards the stairs.

They managed to reach the upper floor just in time, because the next second Kazu entered the house.

"We need to get dressed!" Rika whispered very lowly in panic.

"No, we don't. Follow me." Ryo lead Rika into his room and he opened the shutters of his closet. It was a big, spacious closet, nearly empty.

"No, don't you mean…!" she protested, but he pushed her inside the wardrobe without listening to her complaints. He silently shut themselves inside the closet and their naked bodies fell into darkness.

"This is so stupid and so embarrassing." Rika replied, whispering.

"Why not exciting?" he asked and she could perceive his annoying and mischievous snigger even in darkness.

Ryo pressed her against the back side of closet, blocking her wrists against it.

"Ryo, they will hear us!"

"Not necessarily." He smirked, taking his red bandana from a hanger and tying it around Rika's mouth. One million shivers crossed her body, as she let Ryo kiss her neck, her breasts, and her belly. They were doing something terribly _wrong and dangerous,_ but she couldn't help feeling damn excited.

In that moment, someone knocked twice on the door. Nobody answered. Ryo pressed his lips against Rika's neck, closing her into a strong embrace. She was scared of being caught by their friends. Plus, she didn't want them to see herself naked! Why was she doing that crazy, reckless thing with Ryo?!

Then, her blood froze in her veins. Someone entered the room.

"Hey Kazu, you shouldn't be entering someone's room without his permission!" Henry reproached him from the corridor.

"I know, I know… I'm just checking for Ryo! Where the hell have they gone?" Kazu sighed.

"ICE." Alice shouted as she rushed into the room, panting. "We are out of ice, so they probably went to a bar to take some."

"YEAH, THAT'S IT! You're great, Alice-chan!" Kazu replied as he exited the door, whistling.

Alice and Henry exchanged an exhausted look, and the blonde sighed deeply.

"Wherever Ryo and Rika are, they definitely own us a favour." Alice said in a high voice, before shutting the door of Ryo's room behind her back.

Rika sighed in relief from underneath the bandana, as she hid her face against Ryo's shoulder. With an abrupt grab, Ryo took Rika's thighs with his hands, holding her up in his arms. He pressed her against the back of the closet, panting slowly as he pressed his manhood against Rika's niche.

She tried to protest, but she was so wet and aroused that it nearly slid inside of her immediately. And it felt hard and big. It even ached a little and that surprised her. Ryo's thrusts were hard and sharp and his moans painful: he was literally dying to have her. Rika had never felt Ryo's lust and desire so much.

"My desire for you… is driving me crazy…" he panted in her ear.

Rika was going to reply, but her orgasm came unexpectedly, like a burst of light and colors. Her loud scream was deadened by the scarf pressing on her lips, but her nails scratched deeply Ryo's back – as usual.

Ryo couldn't hold himself back as he felt Rika shiver and scream in his arms, and he bit hard Rika's neck as he came, too.

Rika took the scarf off her mouth, gasping hard for air.

"This was… crazy…"

"Yeah…" Ryo replied, his lips against her collarbone.

"I'm suffocating in here Ryo… let's go outside…" she asked as Ryo let her down.

"Yeah. Let's continue on the bed." He said, taking Rika's arm and jumping out of the closet.

"Conti—? Wha— no, hey! Ryo! Ryo!"

But as soon as Ryo pushed her on the bed, she couldn't speak anymore.

* * *

That evening, Kazu and Kenta sat shocked on the couch. Their faces were pale. In front of them, Alice stood with an exasperated expression, Henry smiled amused, Takato was deeply embarrassed and Jeri listened interested.

"Wh-What… are these strange noises… coming from upstairs?" asked Kazu, finally breaking the tension.

"Probably Ryo and Rika are playing pillow fight." Said Alice.

"Really?" asked Kazu, hopefully.

"Obviously not. They're f—"

"Okay Alice. Whatever they are doing, it's their own business. Let's turn on the TV and don't think about that, right?" Henry proposed, diplomatically, as he took some popcorn and sat between Kazu and Kenta.

That was going to be a very long night.


	7. Epilogue

…**:Chains:…**

_Okay, this is the end, my friends. Thank you for reading this so far! I'm going to publish many more Ryuki so stay tuned! :3_

_Luv ya all!_

* * *

**Epilogue.**

They had been sleeping together until the last night. Sex had become great, more than great. It was so amazing that it nearly became addicting. On the train home, they kept on touching each other's hands or flirting in front of the others. Even Kazu and Kenta seemed to have understood everything and acted embarrassedly. But they didn't care. Ryo thought everything was just fine now: everyone knew and he could have stayed with Rika without problems.

But since they came back home, she had never answered to his phone calls. Never went to their Tamers' appointments. When he called to her house, her grandmother would reply in an embarrassed voice Rika wasn't home. He was desperate and suffered like a dog: Ryo would have never imagined a girl could have such an effect on him. At university, he was super distracted; at work, he wasn't able to concentrate. It was becoming exhausting and unbearable. When Jeri's birthday came in September, he was sure Rika would had come to the party; he was dying to see her, but at the same time he was so angry with Rika he was sure he was going to yell at her in front of everybody. He certainly didn't want to ruin Jeri's party, especially because Takato and she were the nice ones who encouraged him when they saw he was depressed due to Rika's behaviour. Therefore, he said he had fallen from stairs at work and wasn't able to move from home since his knee hurt badly. Jeri was so sorry, she said on the phone, especially because she thought it was a great occasion for the two of them to make up – for what, he still couldn't say it. Or maybe yes. He had imagined Rika was scared to death by their deep relationship and wasn't able to handle it. So, she ran away.

As he kept on thinking about her and about their passionate nights, Ryo fell asleep on the sofa.

When the door rang, it was nearly midnight. Ryo got up from the couch startled and rushed to the door, still confused. When he opened the door, there she stood in front of him: her long scarlet hair let untied on her shoulders, dark eyeliner and shiny lipstick on her beautiful face, a tight blouse highlighting her perfect curves and a short denim miniskirt to show her slender legs. Her usual Converse at her feet and a mischievously amused smile on her lips.

"Hi." She said, lightly.

He sniggered ironically, shaking his head and closing the door in front of Rika without replying, but she put a feet between the door and the jamb, stopping it.

Ryo had already gone to his living room and she entered silently, closing the door behind her back.

"So?" she asked, after nearly 10 minutes of long, heavy silence.

Ryo shook his head and shrugged, faking an indifferent expression on his face.

"Don't know what to say. I haven't seen or heard about you in a month. What do you want me to say? What do you EXPECT me to say?" he asked, now showing signs of sufferance on his face and voice.

"I'm sorry." Rika said, quiet unexpectedly, sitting on the couch.

"Sorry." He repeated, sniggering, as he rubbed his eyelids. "Do you think this is enough, uh?"

"No. Maybe not. But I needed time alone."

"You know, you might just have told me you needed time, without disappearing into nothingness and making me suffer like a stray dog!" he cried out, his voice trembling.

Rika lowered her gaze, a sincerely sad expression on her face.

"I was scared." She replied, whispering.

"I was too, Rika. Scared of losing you forever without having a chance to talk to you."

"I know, Ryo. But when I got off the train in Tokyo, I realized that now this… was real. That making it happen even here would have meant making it true for real. And I became afraid and wanted to feel really sure about what I feel for you."

"And…? What have you discovered during your meditation?" Ryo asked, coldly and ironically.

Rika sighed, annoyed by his scornful attitude, but didn't protest: she knew she deserved it.

"I missed you. Damn missed you, you idiot." She replied, with a broken voice.

"I missed you too, like air." He replied too, seriously.

Rika blushed and lowered her gaze, holding nervously her hands together. She was completely lost and didn't know what to say.

"Weren't you badly injured?" she asked, changing topic.

"I am. But it is not a physical wound." He answered, coldly.

Ryo stood in front of Rika, his arms crossed. He kept on staring at her while she sat on the sofa, her eyes low on the floor.

"Stop staring at me like that. You're making me insane." She sighed, feeling tears coming from down her chest.

"I can't. I fucking can't because I love you so much it hurts. And I can't help it, I haven't seen you for so long that my eyes now need you. I just need you, Rika. I need to have you by my side, so please, stay. Even if you no longer want to stay with me, please, don't ignore me."

As Rika heard those words, she felt a blazing fire burning from down her stomach. Then it reached everything: her breasts, her heart, her lungs, her throat, her cheeks, her eyes. Her mind.

She lunged against Ryo, closing her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. He replied to her kiss tenfold, pushing her on the table and making her sit. The kiss was breathless; her bites made his lips bleed. Ryo grabbed her neck and bit it so hard he left a purple love bite impossible to hide. She moaned so loudly as he made it that he was sure he was going to lose his mind.

Her absence had made his desire growing measurelessly and now he was no longer able to control it.

He practically ripped her blouse up, making buttons dart away, as he undressed her and watched her sexy black-laced bra underneath her camisole.

"Whoah, how about this?" he whispered in her ear, delighted.

"I thought I needed some extra weapons to make up with you." She replied in his ear, before starting to nibble at his earlobe.

"You're a damn plotter…" Ryo moaned, excited.

"If it works, it's just fine, isn't it?" she said, as her tongue slid down his neck and her hands slid under his t-shirt.

Ryo groaned deeply, hiding his face in her scented hair.

"I think I'm going to die…" he said, with a trembling voice. Actually, he was feeling his jeans were going to explode.

"Resist, you still have to see the slips…" Rika replied, as she removed her blouse.

Ryo took off his t-shirt and he felt Rika's hands brazenly unzipping his jeans and lowering his boxers. He grabbed her waist with one hand, pulling her against his chest, as she quickly undid her bra. He took it off, lowering his head to kiss her naked breasts, making her moan and arching her back in pleasure. Meanwhile his other hand slipped under her skirt, taking her lace underwear and removing it quickly. Ryo stopped and watched the black-laced slips, before throwing them on the sofa.

"It was nice." He sniggered slyly, before making Rika lie on the table.

He wanted to do many things to Rika, many nasty and naughty things. He wanted her to suffer of longing and desire as he had done until that night. But he realized he couldn't: he was dying even more than her.

He entered inside of her with one strong thrust, directly, and it probably hurt her since she shrieked a little. Maybe that was more than enough to pay for his anger. Then, he waited before starting moving since he didn't want to hurt her even more. He kissed her neck, her breasts and then kissed her lips deeply and for a very long time.

"Ryo, please, move..." she asked then, whispering, exasperated by the wait.

"Mh, maybe we should wait a little longer. Another month?" he whispered in her ear, cruelly.

"Okay, I'm sorry, fine?" she replied, in distress. "Please, you're driving me crazy…" she sighed, caressing his hair.

He lowered against her neck, biting it slightly before starting to move inside of her. He wanted at least to make it slowly, but he didn't remember the crazy effect that her scratches made on his back: she was just a wildcat, his lovely, violent and nasty wildcat. As his thrusts started to speed up, Rika distanced herself a little.

"Wait, Ryo, wait." She said, suddenly.

Ryo stopped immediately, scared of hurting her in some way.

"Did it hurt?" he asked, gasping for air.

"No. Just wanted to check your self-control." She replied, smiling mischievously.

Ryo looked at her, exasperated, rolling his eyes. Then she caressed his cheek, smiling sweetly for the first time in her whole life.

"Just wanted to say… I love you." She whispered, blushing.

Ryo looked at her, without adding anything. Then he said:

"After that, you're not going to get out of this house for two weeks, you know that, don't you, my love?"

* * *

…_:The End:…_


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